Roasted Cauliflower With Ras el Hanout Recipe (2024)

Recipe from Tomás Kalika

Adapted by Tejal Rao

Roasted Cauliflower With Ras el Hanout Recipe (1)

Total Time
1½ hours, plus cooling overnight
Rating
4(214)
Notes
Read community notes

The Argentine chef Tomás Kalika serves this delicious whole roasted cauliflower family-style at Mishiguene, his Buenos Aires restaurant Mr. Kalika adapted the idea from the chef Eyal Shani, whom he worked for in Israel, and who helped propel the whole roasted cauliflower to international fame. Poaching the cauliflower in advance ensures that it is tender and moist all the way through. You could easily substitute water for milk, particularly if the idea of discarding the milk bothers you. But Mr. Kalika says milk helps flavor the vegetable and encourage browning. (And the cauliflower-infused milk can be reused to make a béchamel sauce, for instance.) —Tejal Rao

Featured in: Sous-Vide Gefilte Fish? A Chef’s Argentine-Jewish Cuisine

Learn: How to Cook Cauliflower

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have

    10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers.

    Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Print Options

    Include recipe photo

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 Servings

  • 1head cauliflower, washed, with leaves intact
  • 1teaspoon salt, more for seasoning
  • ½gallon whole milk or water
  • cup clarified butter (see note)
  • 4teaspoons ras el hanout (see note)
  • Salt, to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

489 calories; 34 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 27 grams sugars; 18 grams protein; 1493 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Roasted Cauliflower With Ras el Hanout Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Place the cauliflower in a large pot and add the salt and milk (or water) until it’s covered. Top up with water if necessary to completely cover the cauliflower. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to simmer gently until the cauliflower is very tender, about 45 minutes. When the pot is cool, transfer it to the refrigerator overnight.

  2. Step

    2

    The next day, heat oven to 450 degrees. Drain the cauliflower well and dry the surface with paper towels. (If you used milk, discard or save for use in another recipe.) Place it on a large sheet of parchment paper on a sheet pan and drizzle the clarified butter all over the cauliflower, using your hands to make sure the surface is covered. Sprinkle the ras el hanout evenly over the surface and season generously with salt.

  3. Step

    3

    Wrap the parchment paper around the base of the cauliflower, leaving only the white part exposed. Roast in the paper for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the surface is a deep golden brown. Serve hot.

Tips

  • To make your own clarified butter, melt 4 ounces unsalted butter in a saucepan and simmer gently until a froth forms on the surface. When froth thins out and starts to color on its edges, pour the clarified butter through a fine-meshed strainer.
  • To make ras el hanout, lightly toast 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1 teaspoon coriander seeds. Crush in a spice grinder with ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ginger powder and about 10 black peppercorns.

Similar Recipes

  • Crispy Gnocchi With Sausage and BroccoliAli Slagle
  • Italian Wedding SoupLidey Heuck
  • MuesliYossy Arefi
  • Honey-Habanero Pork Chops With CarrotsAli Slagle
  • Roasted BeetsMelissa Knific
  • Frijoles de Olla (Homestyle Black Beans)Rick A. Martínez
  • Chicken Marsala and MushroomsMolly O'Neill
  • Bangers With Mashed Winter Squash and Fried SageLidey Heuck
  • Riso al Forno alla Pizzaiola (Pizza Rice)Anna Francese Gass
  • Skillet Chicken With Mushrooms and Caramelized OnionsYasmin Fahr
  • Old-Fashioned Beef StewMolly O'Neill
  • Perfect Boiled EggsJ. Kenji López-Alt
  • Gingerbread Latte CookiesVaughn Vreeland
  • Chickpea Stew With Orzo and Mustard GreensMelissa Clark
  • Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese GaletteYossy Arefi
  • Potato Leek SoupKay Chun
  • Red Curry Lentils With Sweet Potatoes and SpinachLidey Heuck
  • Pumpkin CookiesSamantha Seneviratne
  • Teddie's Apple CakeAmanda Hesser
  • Vegetable Tortilla SoupHam El-Waylly

Ratings

4

out of 5

214

user ratings

Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

Naani-Daadi

Indian version: Blanch cauliflower quickly. Cover with readymade Tandoori paste and yogurt mixture, Drzizlle with store-bought ghee. Bake in 450 degree oven until browned on top. Meanwhile, pop mustard seed in oil, Saute chopped onion garlic and ginger; turmeric, dried coriander, red chili powder, add a cupful of frozen peas and a can of diced tomatoes, simmer till peas are just cooked through, Serve cauliflower in a flat platter, surrounded by peas, sprinkled with a chopped fresh coriander.

ElizabethAMK

much easier version: don't blanch whole cauliflower head. mix ras el hanout and salt with full fat greek yogurt or nonfat greek yogurt enriched with addition of olive oil. coat the raw cauliflower thickly with yogurt mixture. place on parchment paper and back 375 for 45-60 min until browned. nice additional is to sprinkle with gremolata

SharonATX

We made this last night:
1) There's no way half a gallon of milk will fully cover the cauliflower in a large pot. We used 1/2 gallon of milk and a gallon of water.
2) 45 minutes was WAY too long for simmering! Try 30.
3) You do not need 1/3 cup of the butter. Try a 1/4.
4) The end result was good, but not great because while the exterior of the cauliflower was good, the rest of it was rather bland.
This recipe is a bit meshugah. Wouldn't make again.

G_Muc

It seem's to me that 45 minutes are a little bit too long,or?

Muffy Duffy

I made ElizabethAMK’s easy version just coating raw cauliflower with mixture of ras hanout, yogurt, olive oil and baked at 375 for 50 mins or so. It was great and so easy. Thanks Elizabeth for simplifying this for me!

Gene

I followed the recipe, cooking for 45 minutes, and refrigerating overnight. When I drained the pot and went to lift it out, it was total MUSH. Right into the trash. This recipe is defective.

Lilikoi

This was amazing. Minor modifications: roasted the cauliflower raw, broken into florets with a can of chickpeas, tossed with plenty olive oil and ras el hanout. Tossed at 10 and 20 minute mark. At 30 minute mark, added 4T pine nuts (from Lebanon), warmed in 2T softening butter, and tossed again. 5 more minutes in oven. Great flavors, good main dish protein, use more oil when feeding vegans.

TriciaPDX

I've poached cauliflower in milk before, but used both the cauliflower and the milk in twice-baked baked potatoes. I'd use this poaching milk the same way, or in mashed potatoes. The milk is faintly cauliflower-y so it might taste odd in bechamel.

Freeze it in a tightly sealed plastic freezer bag on its side so you create a sheet of milk. Then break off pieces of frozen milk to use as needed.

Good But Also Easily Modified

We made it per the recipe but roasted it in the barbecue oven rather than a conventional one. Next time we will cut it into flowerettes first, blanche them and then add the butter and spices and put in the barbecue oven again.

media literacy

What notes?

bridget

Only simmered for about 25 minutes- very mushy. Impossible to dry off, even after draining the liquid and leaving it out in the open in the fridge all day. Broiling to crisp it helped a bit.

wendi

Meh. So mushy that it ended up having to be puréed. WAY too much Ras El Hanout. Won’t make again.

Cassandra

This was really good. I cooked as directed - except using just organic unsalted butter (no clarified). It turns out very mushy but still pleasant. I wouldn’t characterize this as roasted. Would be great puréed and turned into a mash.

David

There is no Note in the recipe about the exotic ingredient (al hanout?)

Susan

I made this by cutting up the cauliflower in 1 1/2 inch pieces, mixing those pieces with olive oil and the spice mix. Then I roasted at 400 degrees, turning after 12 minutes; and taking out at 20. No blandness here! Excellent.

Nik

Oven @ 425Slice raw cauliflower 1/2 inch thickDressing: 1 cup plain goat yogurt - 2 TBsp ras el hanout, 2TBsp EVOOToss w/cauliRoast on parchment paper for 30-45 min, til it's crispy but not burnt - turning halfway through (keep an eye on it)Finish with:a. Maldon saltb. drizzle of honey and lime for a yummmc. whatever you wantPro tip - leave all the little cauli bits, they get nice and crunchy

moni52

I recommend a less time-consuming and wasteful method for whole roasted cauliflower: Drizzle 1/2 cup of olive oil over dry cauliflower head. Season liberally with salt. Put whole head florets-side up in cast iron skillet and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes covered at 375 degrees. Remove foil and roast for an additional hour in the oven. My kids like it so much they ask me to make it!

Martha

This was soooo mushy and not good at all. I thought it cooked for way too long, but decided I should follow the recipe. It just fell apart.

Max Davies

Roasted cauliflower is much improved by drizzling it with lots of pesto sauce (get it into the cracks) for the final 20 minutes in the oven.

Stupock

Saw recipe here a while back: cut off greens to make flat bottom of cauliflower. Set in cast iron pan. Coat with olive oil (rub it in with your hands) sprinkle with Zatar, tumeric or whatever spices you like. Oven to 425 with cauliflower on middle rack. Put roasting pan with water on lower rack. Don't peek for 45-50 min. It will be perfect; but can roast longer or carefully broil to finish (remove roasting pan with water). I like to sprinkle some parmesan at broil step

Muffy Duffy

I made ElizabethAMK’s easy version just coating raw cauliflower with mixture of ras hanout, yogurt, olive oil and baked at 375 for 50 mins or so. It was great and so easy. Thanks Elizabeth for simplifying this for me!

Soraya

Wondering if Buttermilk would be a nice addition to the blanching liquid.

Cindy

Cut off enough stem so it would sit flatMost chill in pot overnight or it will fall apart.OK to be generous with seasoning, try to get bottom as well as topSuper soft, very enjoyable

Private notes are only visible to you.

Roasted Cauliflower With Ras el Hanout Recipe (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Fr. Dewey Fisher

Last Updated:

Views: 5469

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (42 voted)

Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Fr. Dewey Fisher

Birthday: 1993-03-26

Address: 917 Hyun Views, Rogahnmouth, KY 91013-8827

Phone: +5938540192553

Job: Administration Developer

Hobby: Embroidery, Horseback riding, Juggling, Urban exploration, Skiing, Cycling, Handball

Introduction: My name is Fr. Dewey Fisher, I am a powerful, open, faithful, combative, spotless, faithful, fair person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.